Danage 880mm Boss

[Watch_Man]

While happy shooting the club straw bosses we were starting to find my wifes arrows going through the middle and onward down the field, they also seemed to be wearing the carbon down.

After approaching the club committee and other regulars we got the go ahead to buy a Danage boss and store it at the club. We felt it just polite as this boss would only be for my wife's use and a couple of other target shooters and we didn't want to upset some of the other members.

We ordered an 880mm one from Clickers, Graham rang me to thank me for the order and find a convenient day to have the boss and stand delivered - a nice personal touch The boss and stand were delivered as promised and were taken up to the club where the stand was assembled.

Stand assembly was very easy using one allen key. All the bits went together very quickly and fitted perfectly, the wood being very smooth so no splinters. We do suggest an extra pair of hands to help though.

The actual boss part just pushes straight into the stand, it is on its own frame and so fits very snuggly into the frame. The first couple of times the boss needs a little push to get it in but as the foam shapes to size then it fits in very easily.

The boss has a handle on the top, this makes it very easy for movement and certainly easy enough for a lady or older junior to move. Similarly the H frame stand isn't too heavy and is reasonabley easy to move. A gent could carry the complete target without needing to seperate them.

When a standard 122cm face is attached you have all the areas out to the black, with white showing in the very corners. So if you are shooting in the black or better this size target should be fine.

The setup does look a little small at 100yds but you soon get used to it.

I would suggest anyone considering purchasing one for their own use should also consider the backstop netting. The Danage is designed to slow the arrow down without damaging it, so there is still some arrow showing out of the back. The addition of the backstop netting slows the arrow down further and is supposed to extend the life of the middle by 30%.

This netting is a very heavy and dense multi layer net stitched into a square. It has eyelets in each corner. It comes complete with one piece of elastic. We found that by screwing two hooks into the top back of the target stand and cutting the elastic in half, then it is possible to easily hang the netting at the back. It is important that this hangs and is not secured from 4 corners as it is the weight of the net that slows down the arrow, if secured then it would possibly just puncture the net.

The actual boss has one full size cube in the middle which is replaceable. This is the same as the full size targets, however the outer blocks are smaller and only half the thickness of the middle cube.

After using it at the club and for practice we have found this to be a much better setup for my wife to be able to use by herself, if there are no other members around to help her lift the straw boss (she is only little) Similarly for a home setup it would be easy to setup and put away as the frame folds flat for storage and is not as deep as many other 4 post frames - no arms are required to support the boss.

I would recommend the 880mm to anyone considering buying a target for home or who has similar issues with their club bosses. We would also recommend the service of Clickers who supplied the stand, boss and net.

[den_edin]

Originally Posted by Watch_Man

All the bits went together very quickly and fitted perfectly, the wood being very smooth so no splinters.

The actual boss part just pushes straight into the stand, it is on its own frame and so fits very snuggly into the frame. The first couple of times the boss needs a little push to get it in but as the foam shapes to size then it fits in very easily.

It is smooth wood however it is fairly low quality soft wood so if anyone hits the wood large chunks break off or splinter (as happens with most target stands however the danage seem particularly soft and the broken off pieces particularly big).
At our club we have came to the conclusion stands are not designed to be dismantled and assembled daily. As you say they need a push to get into the stand however we have not found that this does not become easier over time in fact the opposite and it is actually a struggle to get the boss into the stand.

We have 3 of the larger danage bosses so perhaps the extra weight causes problems. Still good bosses though and the backstop is excellent when used as you mention

[Watch_Man]

Originally Posted by den_edin

It is smooth wood however it is fairly low quality soft wood so if anyone hits the wood large chunks break off or splinter (as happens with most target stands however the danage seem particularly soft and the broken off pieces particularly big).
At our club we have came to the conclusion stands are not designed to be dismantled and assembled daily. As you say they need a push to get into the stand however we have not found that this does not become easier over time in fact the opposite and it is actually a struggle to get the boss into the stand.

We have 3 of the larger danage bosses so perhaps the extra weight causes problems. Still good bosses though and the backstop is excellent when used as you mention

Interesting on the softness of the wood as I managed to catch the top today and a slice did break off about 3" long. I'm not sure how this compares to other stands as our club tends to make our own. I also managed to catch one of the bottom struts in the same session, this snapped a Navi FMJ at the tail end about 4" down from the nock. I assume that the arrow must have come in at a steep angle and whacked the strut quite hard. It left a small indent but no other damage.

We store the stand inside a container so it hasn't been subject to any weather yet, it will be interesting to see how it survives the winter athough we have thought of treating it with something.

[mk1]

I've been using a couple of Danage bosses for 5 years now and they are both still in one piece. I think I'll have to check over the stand hinges at the end of the season but so far the stands have survived getting carted about on a trolley and set up a few times each week and the frames have been reassembled a few times.

I don't know about the fitting in getting easier or more difficult over time as mine are an earlier model where the foam sits in front of the stand like a conventional boss and we used small gate hooks to hold them on. We also attached guy ropes to the stands and use those to tie the legs back together for transport. They sit in a shed all year round and apart from cobwebs have suffered no ill effects.

[simon1977]

Originally Posted by Watch_Man

When a standard 122cm face is attached you have all the areas out to the black, with white showing in the very corners. So if you are shooting in the black or better this size target should be fine.

Originally Posted by Watch_Man

Interesting on the softness of the wood as I managed to catch the top today and a slice did break off about 3" long. I'm not sure how this compares to other stands as our club tends to make our own. I also managed to catch one of the bottom struts in the same session, this snapped a Navi FMJ at the tail end about 4" down from the nock. I assume that the arrow must have come in at a steep angle and whacked the strut quite hard. It left a small indent but no other damage.

Sounds like you should've bought the 132cm boss Trev

[bkupris]

I have had a 88cm danage boss and stand for about 2 years now but only use it in the house for 5-7mtr practice. I have not hit the stand yet. Just for interest sake I noticed the stand supplied with mine has an IKEA sticker on it

[Watch_Man]

Originally Posted by simon1977

Sounds like you should've bought the 132cm boss Trev

If it were just for me then I would need 4 x 132cm glued together, however Wendy makes do with the centre cube